Shinobu Kanda of “Aizu Inawashiro Kanda Farm” is striving to grow the best rice in Japan in Inawashiro Town, Fukushima Prefecture, where beautiful rice paddies spread out. After repeated trial and error, in 2024, he was awarded the highest prize, the “Gold Prize in the International Comprehensive Category,” at the 26th International Rice and Food Taste Analysis Contest. What is Mr. Kanda’s rice cultivation that made his dream of becoming the best in Japan come true?

The Last Paradise for Rice

Inawashiro Town, where Aizu Inawashiro Kanda Farm (hereafter, Kanda Farm) is located, is one of the most scenic areas in Japan, surrounded by Mt. Despite its elevation of more than 500 m, vast rice paddies are spread all over the area, blessed with abundant melted snow from the Bandai Mountains and dotted with rice fields with organic soil. It is also known as a heavy snowfall area with ski resorts, and since the statistics began, they have not observed a single extremely hot day. Kanda says with a smile, “This area, with its extreme temperature differences, may be the “last paradise” for rice now that global warming is advancing.

From Salesman to Farmer and from Wholesale to Direct Sales

After graduating from university, Mr. Kanda built a career as a salaried worker, but the turning point for him was the sudden death of his brother, who had taken over the family business. Following in his brother’s footsteps, he started farming in 2011 at the age of 30 to support his parents, who ran a farm and a guest house, but one month later the Great East Japan Earthquake struck. The earthquake caused extensive damage to agriculture, and the price of rice plummeted due to harmful rumors. In his search for a way to overcome the current situation, Mr. Kanda decided to switch to direct sales, taking advantage of his experience as a salesman. He began by thinking that the time would come when he would have to sell rice himself, since prices to JA and other wholesalers had dropped so dramatically that sales had plummeted. However, sales were low at first, and we realized that we needed to build up our quality and brand to be chosen by consumers,” he recalls. So he set a goal: to win an award at a rice competition by the age of 40, 10 years from now. This is where his challenge to become the best in Japan began.

Incidentally, the “International Rice Taste Analysis Competition,” for which Mr. Kanda won the gold medal, is a “rice competition” sponsored by the Association of Rice and Taste Analysts. In 2000, when the only mainstream method of testing rice was the “grading test,” the competition was launched to focus on the taste of the rice and to encourage the “revival of rural areas, agriculture, and rice farming,” which was in decline. The first competition started with less than 400 entries, but it has now grown into the world’s largest rice competition with a total of 5,000 entries and co-sponsorship with numerous local governments. Since the 10th edition, the competition has become an international event, and the rice of the winners of the competition has been highly acclaimed both in Japan and abroad.

Accumulating data through test cultivation of more than 10 patterns each year

In order to promote self-taught research, the first step is to conduct 10 patterns of test cultivation each year. He worked to improve the quality of the rice by changing the variety, cultivation method, amount of fertilizer, timing of harvesting, and other factors. The reaction from those around him was mixed, with some saying, “The ears haven’t appeared yet in Mr. Kanda’s rice fields. The test rice was then tested for eating quality, and the results were compared to the rice that had been harvested. The best lots of test rice were selected by measuring the taste with a taste meter and eating the rice, and in the following year, more than 10 more test cultivation patterns were tried. They continued to accumulate data through this unique test cultivation and established a cultivation method that they were satisfied with.

He is grateful for the encounters he has had. Making dreams come true by carving out your own path.

The people he has met through rice cultivation have also had a great influence on him and given him good fortune. In Minami Uonuma, the largest rice-producing region in Japan, I have a rice-growing mentor. After meeting him at the competition, I visited him every year and he taught me every detail about fertilizer, rice planting, and harvesting time. I have also continued my training visits to farmers who have won the top prize in Japan and exchanges with rice farmers from all over the country throughout the years,” he said happily. One of Mr. Kanda’s great strengths is his ability to use the communication skills he developed as a salesman and actively go out to learn and absorb good rice farming practices.

Premium rice “Yudai 21” gracing dining tables

The premium rice “Yudai 21” has been carefully cultivated through more than 10 patterns of trial cultivation. This “miracle rice” variety, which was developed as part of a development project at Utsunomiya University, is characterized by its stickiness, strong umami, and sweetness. Mr. Kanda has been working on this variety, which is recognized by rice farmers who have won the top prize in Japan in a competition, and has been aiming to become the best in Japan. In Inawashiro, where the altitude is high and the temperatures are low, we mainly grew Hitomebore, which is resistant to cold damage, but through trial and error, we succeeded in designing a fertilizer and cultivation method that suited the land. Yudai 21″ has the texture, graininess, feel, and presence as rice that I value.

Kanda Farm’s rice harvest began with glutinous rice, followed by Hitomebore and Yudai 21. Direct sales were low when they first started, and sales continued to be difficult, but the rice was well received by those who purchased it, and repeat business increased. Furthermore, the company became widely recognized for its award-winning products and began to achieve its sales goals. The product’s delicious taste, which remains unchanged not only after cooking but also over time, has gained a reputation for popularity, and the product is sold out every year.

Farming is a creative job. His goal is to be number one in Japan for five consecutive years!

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Kanda Farm’s “Yudai 21” won the highest award, the “Gold Prize in the International General Category,” at the 26th International Rice and Food Taste Analysis Competition held in 2024, which boasts the largest number of entries in Japan. Mr. Kanda was 44 years old. Having finally achieved the top prize in Japan, Mr. Kanda’s next goal is to win the top prize in Japan for five consecutive years. I believe that if you stop after winning an award, there is no progress,” he said. It is important that I am satisfied with my work, so I will continue to challenge myself every year and aim to win the award for five consecutive years. The reason why five consecutive years is so important is that this competition will be held in Fukushima Prefecture for three consecutive years starting in 2026. For that reason, I want to always be a challenger. Agriculture may seem like a simple job, but when you have a clear goal, it is very creative, and there is no other job so interesting,” he says, finding great satisfaction in the work.

The strict settings of rice milling machines are also the secret of good taste.

Mr. Kanda is currently conducting as many as 30 test cultivation patterns and is very particular about rice milling. He says that normally, rice would be cleaned by passing it through a color sorter multiple times, but because he does not want to damage the rice, he only passes it through the machine once to judge it strictly. By setting the machine’s line strictly, he is able to remove “cloudy white,” which is a milky white color among normally clear rice grains, and “belly white,” which is a cloudy white color on the belly of the grains, resulting in delicious rice with no cloying taste. Cloudy white and white belly grains do not cause taste problems when eaten, but they are caused by weather conditions (high temperatures, lack of sunlight, etc.) during growth, which are considered insufficient starch in the rice and cause the rice to become soft.

He states clearly, “What we had set strictly for entering in competitions has been adapted for regular sales, resulting in ideal, tasty rice.”

Rice that aims to be the best in Japan” and “the ultimate everyday food” are the two pillars of the company’s business.

He says that weed control is important in challenging the potential of “Yudai 21” through organic cultivation. In order to promote photosynthesis, he has to plant fewer seedlings than in “conventional” farming, where chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used to increase yield and prevent pests and weeds, and he has to take extra measures against weeds. Farming is my calling, so I don’t consider it a hardship,” he says. I think I shine brighter than when I was a salesman, and it is a job I can be proud of for my children,” says Kanda, who gazes out at the rice paddies with his beloved family.

Since taking over as the fifth generation, he has been cultivating rice with two pillars, one of which is “aiming to be the best in Japan. The other is “the ultimate everyday food” that is reasonably priced and fills the stomachs of even children in their prime. While aiming to be the best in Japan, the company is sure to continue to bring happiness to everyday dining tables.

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Ono City, located in the northeastern part of Fukui Prefecture on the border with Gifu Prefecture, is blessed with a climate of widely varying temperatures and subsoil water from the foot of Mount Hakusan, making it the third largest rice producing area in the prefecture. Masayuki Matsuda, the owner of Shirobei, a natural rice farmer who insists on using no pesticides or fertilizers, won the highest award in a rice competition. What is Mr. Matsuda’s commitment that produced this rice?

Oddball from Small Rural Community in Fukui Prefecture Wins Top Prize in Rice Competition

The Morime district of Ono City, Fukui Prefecture, where Mr. Matsuda lives, is a small community of 45 households, 40 of which are engaged in traditional farming. In 2006, he began growing rice naturally, without using pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, or fungicides, in a pristine environment. Currently, 2.5 hectares of the 3.2 hectares of rice paddies are used to grow naturally grown rice varieties such as Akisakari, Himegomomi, Milky Queen, Sasanishiki, Asahi, and Nikkomaru. Weeding is kept to a minimum and no animal manure or other fertilizers are applied in order to keep the environment close to that of the wild. However, in 2015, its rice won a gold medal in the most difficult overall category at the National Rice and Food Taste Analysis Competition International, the largest rice fair in Japan, and has won gold medals and special excellence awards in various categories to date.

Akisakari” has its roots in ”Koshihikari

Koshihikari,” Japan’s representative rice, was actually born at the Agricultural Experiment Station in Fukui Prefecture. It has a large grain size, sweetness, and a rich aroma when cooked, and is harvested in large quantities. It is now grown all over Japan as a representative of delicious rice, and Fukui accounts for 70-80% of the rice harvested in Japan. However, due to the effects of global warming, the temperature during the “ripening period,” when the ears of rice emerge, blossom, pollinate, and the rice grows and enlarges, has become too hot, resulting in a deterioration of rice quality, known as “high temperature injury. In 2008, Fukui Prefecture developed the “Akisakari” variety as a countermeasure against high temperature damage. Having its roots in Koshihikari, it is tolerant of high temperatures and has a late maturation period to avoid high temperatures as much as possible. It is characterized by its slightly chewy texture, and the more it is chewed, the sweeter it tastes.

After trying it, I felt that Akisakari was the best for the region.

Mr. Matsuda began growing Akisakari right around the time it was announced. In 2012, an acquaintance secretly entered Mr. Matsuda’s Akisakari rice in a rice and taste evaluation contest. Although it did not win an award, it was highly praised, and he began growing it in earnest, thinking that he could produce rice that would win awards. The following year, he was certified as the “BEST FARMER” in the same competition, which received approximately 5,000 rice samples , and the selected Akisakari rice received the Environment Kingdom Special Excellence Award in the special cultivation category. Mr. Matsuda’s award was narrowly chosen based on the sum of his scores for eating quality, which is measured by an analyzer to measure moisture, protein, amylose, and fatty acids, and taste quality (miduchi), which measures the umami component of white rice.

Concerned about his family’s health, he moved to safe cultivation methods that do not use pesticides.

Mr. Matsuda insists on being recognized in competitions because he wants the people around him to understand the value of his naturally grown rice. He became ill after his son, who was spraying pesticides with him, inhaled them and collapsed. Concerned about his health, Mr. Matsuda began to teach himself how to grow rice without pesticides, recalling his childhood experience of growing rice using cow manure as fertilizer when his father ran a dairy farm. The rice harvested at that time was so beautiful and clear that it won the second prize in an evaluation by an agricultural cooperative, which was rare at that time.

Miracle apples” sparked a strong interest in natural cultivation

As he gathered more information, he came across the book “The Miracle Apple,” which was also made into a movie, written by Akinori Kimura, who is known as a charismatic figure of natural farming. He became interested in the natural way of farming, and began to attend seminars and workshops on natural farming around the country on weekends and with his salary. What surprised me the most was that when I put freshly cooked rice in a jar with the lid on, it fermented and smelled good. Organic rice was just going to rot and turn to mush,” he said. This was the farming method I was looking for, and I decided to spend the rest of my life on it,” said Matsuda.

Year after year, he realized that it is difficult to cultivate rice in soil accustomed to chemical ingredients.

Rice grown under the cover of the surroundings was highly appreciated.

The first year they started growing rice without pesticides, fertilizers, or fungicides, they were able to harvest four bales per square meter of rice paddies, half of what they had been able to produce with pesticides and chemical fertilizers. The following year, however, the harvest dropped dramatically to only one bale. Seeing the rice paddies overgrown with weeds, his relatives were furious, saying, “We have gone crazy because we do not use pesticides and fertilizers. Mr. Matsuda believed that the problem lay in the soil soaked in chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Unable to overcome the many voices of opposition, such as, “If weeds grow, diseases and insects appear, it will cause trouble in the surrounding rice paddies,” he suspended pesticide-free, fertilizer-free, and fungicide-free cultivation. However, Mr. Matsuda was not ready to give up and decided to continue cultivating only one field in secret. As a result, the rice harvested from that one acre was recognized in a prestigious competition, which changed the attitude of those around him, and Mr. Matsuda gradually expanded his naturally cultivated acreage.

After decades of using chemical fertilizers and pesticides that became widespread after World War II, the soil is not easily restored to its natural state. It is important to remove the chemical components by digging the rice fields deeper to expose them to the air and by using the power of plants with deep roots, such as wheat, to take care of the soil. Even after 16 years of doing so, the weeds are finally getting under control. It will take more time,” said Matsuda, crushing the weed-covered soil with his fingers.

He is taking analytical data to “visualize” his pesticide- and fertilizer-free production.

Nevertheless, when I go out to the rice paddies now, I feel that the environment is gradually returning to the way it was in my childhood, with more snakes and frogs, and ducks flying in and out. The yield is still unprofitable, at most about 4 bales per hectare. There was a time when I tried to increase the planting density while checking how the rice was growing. He has also tried to make the rice fields more attractive to ducks, which eat weeds, by repeatedly flooding the fields with water. He is continuing his research by collecting rice data (data on amylose, which determines the viscosity of rice when cooked, and other quality data) for each rice paddy, which he will use for the following year’s cultivation.

In addition, in order to add value and increase the price per bale, they have asked the Tsukuba Analysis Center to measure residual pesticides and radiation to confirm safety. They also measure data on the analysis of brown rice components such as protein, carbohydrates, and sodium, and disclose this information when offering the rice as a tax return gift to hometowns and for publicity purposes.

How do you convert the evaluation of rice into needs?

Another thing that Mr. Matsuda is trying to do is to store the rice after harvesting. He keeps the brown rice in a cool storage at 12°C to ensure that the taste value does not change. He says that even one year after harvest, the taste of such rice does not deteriorate to the point where one cannot tell that the rice is old. If the rice is stored well, it does not oxidize and turn yellow, and it can be eaten for a long time,” he says.

When a tasting event was held at a local community center, Mr. Matsuda’s rice was rated as the best tasting rice compared to the same variety from other regions. However, even with such a reputation, when the price was discussed, rice stores and mass merchandisers would not take it up. The challenge for the future, he says, is how to turn the reputation of the rice into a need, and to get consumers who buy the rice once to become repeat buyers.

What is the true rice that Mr. Matsuda is aiming for?

Mr. Matsuda’s goal is to produce rice that has been grown without too much human intervention, that adapts to the local environment, and that has characteristics unique to that area. Many modern rice varieties are supposed to be grown with an abundance of fertilizers and pesticides. He is looking forward to seeing how such rice will explore cultivation policies and change its flavor in response to his own cultivation methods that are being evaluated.

It is said that when rice is grown naturally, it eventually becomes closer to the original species. Modern rice has a strong aroma when cooked and taste when you put it in your mouth, and many varieties of rice play a leading role in their own right. My rice is grown as it is, which I believe makes it closer to the original form of the plant called rice. I think it will be rice that is the star of the show, but not the main attraction, and not too tasty that it complements side dishes. Rice is a staple food, and Mr. Matsuda believes that it should not have too much individuality in order to keep eating it for a long time without getting tired of it.

I want to create a healthy Japan with naturally grown rice.

I want to keep my philosophy in mind,” he says, ”because if you only learn how to cultivate rice, you are just imitating others and will fall behind . When he looks at the condition of his rice paddies and the yield of his harvest, he almost fails many times, and every time he does, he remembers his starting point, his philosophy. Natural cultivation is so difficult and unprofitable considering the time and effort involved that only a few people engage in it.

Since they do not use herbicides, most of the 2,500 hours of annual farm work is spent weeding and mowing. He is absolutely confident in the taste of his rice, saying, “ If only there was a chance for people to try our rice once.” He is passionate in his words, saying, “I want to create a healthy future for Japan with strongly grown rice,” while adding value through competitions and analytical data based on his particular farming methods, which he started because of the health of his family.

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“Sakihokole” rice for the top

Akita Prefecture is a rice-producing region, boasting the third largest rice production in Japan after Niigata and Hokkaido. The main rice produced in Akita is the well-known “Akita Komachi,” a rice variety with excellent stickiness and taste that was created in 1984 and soon became the top brand in Japan, and is now a staple brand in the Tohoku region. The name Akita-Komachi has long been a staple brand in the Tohoku region, and many people probably think of Akita-Komachi when they think of Akita. Akita Komachi has long been Akita Prefecture’s mainstay rice. That will not change in the future, but Sakihokore was created as a rice that aims for the top in a different direction from Akita Komachi,” said Hitoshi Kodama, a rice farmer in the Senboku Plain for generations.

The Senboku Plain, where Kodama’s rice fields are located, is an agricultural area of 10,060 ha of rice paddies in the south-central part of Akita Prefecture, straddling Daisen City, Senboku City, and Misato Town. The Omonogawa River, a first-class river, flows through the area, and the Dewa Mountains and the Ou Mountains provide moderate protection from the monsoon winds. The difference in temperature, clean water, and the environment suitable for producing high quality rice have made this an area where rice cultivation has thrived since ancient times. There is a local culture in which each farmer shares their success stories with each other, and it is also a place where farmers with the highest level of rice cultivation techniques in Japan gather. The warmth of each farmer’s desire for people to enjoy delicious rice has improved the rice cultivation techniques in the region. Mr. Kodama is also a veteran farmer who has twice won the gold medal, the highest award given to the top 10 winners of the “Obako-no-Takumi” (artisan rice growers) in the “Delicious Rice Competition” held by the Akita Obako Agricultural Cooperative, known for handling the largest amount of rice in Japan, with the aim of improving eating quality, an important consideration in consumer regions. Mr. Kodama has cultivated Akita brand rice such as “Akita Komachiya,” “Aki-no-Kirameki,” and “Yume-Obako,” and was selected as a Sakihokore test farmer for his high skills in rice cultivation, a requirement for farmers who can consistently produce high quality rice.

Noted as a rice that surpasses Koshihikari

Sakihokore is a new variety developed by Akita Prefecture based on the concept of “an extremely good-tasting variety that surpasses Koshihikari. While Akita Komachi is a variety for everyone, characterized by its fine texture and gentle sweetness, Sakihokore has a crispy texture with a good graininess. The more it is chewed, the more delicious and flavorful it becomes. It is said to be attracting attention as the next generation of rice among experts such as rice masters.
Because Sakihokore is a late maturing rice variety, it is grown in “recommended planting areas” where weather conditions and other factors are carefully regulated, and only growers who have met certain standards of basic rice cultivation skills are allowed to cultivate it. For these reasons, Sakihokore rice, produced with an emphasis on taste, is the rice of choice for growers.
First of all, the area must have an average daytime temperature of 22 degrees Celsius or higher when the rice is in full ripeness. In addition, the harvested Sakihokore must have a brown rice protein level of 6.4 or less. This is because a higher protein level would upset the balance of the rice’s flavor and texture. However, 6.4 or less is a very strict standard. Producers cannot easily produce Sakihokore. We are relieved that the Sakihokore we produced this year had a protein level of 5.5 and a taste of 86,” says Kodama.

For example, if you apply fertilizer to increase the yield of rice, the protein level will go up. Sakihokore is a variety that produces better quality grains one grain at a time, even if the yield is low. It is not possible to produce a good harvest without thinking and devising ways to grow the crop with a focus on flavor. Mr. Kodama took all possible measures from the first year of planting, and harvested Sakihokore that far exceeded the standard value. The taste was beyond even long-time rice farmer Kodama’s expectations.
I will continue to work hard to produce high quality rice so that Sakihokore will become a new light of Akita,” he said. I believe that if I do my best, there will be younger farmers who will follow in my footsteps, and the quality of rice production in the region as a whole will improve. I believe that this will lead to the growth of the entire production area. Mr. Kodama’s eyes were gazing into the future, the future that Japan’s rice cultivation should aim for.

NIHONMONO – 「にほん」の「ほんも…

秋田の水が作り出す水田で美味しいお米を。水田環境鑑定士･米農家 渡部浩見さん／秋田県湯沢市 – NIHONMONO 水田環境鑑定士とは？ 取材の日はあいにくの雨。本当ならば最後の稲刈りをし、田んぼで稲を見ながらの予定だったのだ

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In 2022, “Rice Master Minori Garden” won gold medals at the “International Rice and Taste Analysis Competition” and “Japan’s No.1 Rice Contest in Shizuoka” in succession at the largest rice competition in Japan. The garden is located in the mountainous area of Shinjo City, Yamagata Prefecture, a city blessed with nature, and grows delicious rice that is recognized around the world through “natural cultivation” that does not use pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or organic fertilizers.

Shinjo City, Yamagata Prefecture, is blessed with a natural environment ideal for rice cultivation.

Shinjo City in Yamagata Prefecture is located in the northeastern part of the prefecture and is surrounded by mountains such as Mount Tsukiyama and Mount Kamimuro, one of the heaviest snowfall areas in Japan. The melt water from the mountains is rich in minerals and has long been known for its ability to produce delicious rice. The climate is favorable for the rice plants, which are exposed to the sun during the day to produce flavorful ingredients, which are then locked in during the cooler nights and mornings.

The Igarashi family is a rice farmer who owns about 15 hectares of rice paddies mainly in the mountains of Shinjo City at an elevation of 150 meters. Rice farming has been the family’s occupation for generations since the Kansei era of the Edo period (1603-1868), and now the family, led by Shigeo Igarashi, the eighth generation of the family, is working together to farm.

Falling in love with the delicious taste of rice, Igarashi became a farmer with a single-minded determination.

Mr. Narusei was born in Omagari City (now Daisen City) in Akita Prefecture, but moved to Yamagata Prefecture when he entered university. After graduation, he was working as a cram school teacher when he met his wife, Eriko, who became his son-in-law.

Although Mr. Nario was not a farmer, his family ran a catering restaurant, so he was accustomed to eating good rice. However, when he first tasted the Igarashi family’s rice, he was shocked at how delicious it was. Hearing his father-in-law’s words, “I am thinking of leaving the farm in my generation because there is no one to succeed me,” Narusei said, “It would be a waste to quit the farm when we can produce such delicious rice. He decided to take over the farm and pass on the delicious taste of rice to the next generation.

Happiness of Living in the Natural Cycle of Human Nature

The Igarashi family’s rice cultivation style has been conventional, using pesticides and chemical fertilizers for generations. Having no farming experience, Mr. Narusei spent a year learning from his father-in-law how to use farm machinery and how to do the work from scratch. He felt that farming was his true calling, as it suited his personality in many ways, including his love of operating machinery, the freedom to spend time on his own, and his ability to learn and make improvements as he went along. In the mountainous rice paddies where he works, he can hear the sounds of animals and feel the changing seasons as the wind blows through the fields. He wakes up early in the morning before 5:00 a.m. to begin his work and finishes it at dusk. The feeling of living in such a natural cycle is a fresh and happy time for Mr. Narusei.

Carving Out Sales Channels with His Own Hands

However, it is not all happiness. After taking over the Igarashi family business, Narusei first became aware of the tight business situation. He thought the business had been in the family for generations and was doing well, but in reality, it was in dire straits and needed immediate improvement.

If we don’t make more money, we won’t be able to make a living,” he said. So, instead of relying on vendors to sell our products, we should develop our own sales channels. To help visitors understand what kind of products they were selling, they named themselves “Rice Master Minori Garden” and sold the rice directly to the visitors. As a result, the rice was well received and sold well. They were able to hear directly from consumers and felt a great response to their efforts to develop their own sales channels.

Natural farming started with a desire to feed young children

A diligent learner who used to teach at a cram school, Mr. Narusei participated in various study groups on agriculture. In addition to deepening his learning, he expanded his connections with other farmers. Then a major turning point came. He met a farmer who was growing his produce naturally.

At the time, Mr. and Mrs. Igarashi were raising their children and wanted to feed them food that was as safe and secure as possible. Therefore, natural farming, which does not use pesticides and is healthy for the farmer, seemed to be the best way to grow rice for both consumers and farmers.

Conventional cultivation generally uses pesticides and fertilizers to improve the taste of rice and prevent disease, but in natural cultivation, crops are grown by natural forces alone, without the use of pesticides or fertilizers. Easier said than done, but growing rice without the use of pesticides and fertilizers developed for good rice cultivation has never been easy.

Of course, they could not suddenly go all out and grow everything naturally, so they tried growing the Yamagata variety “Haenuki” naturally in a small 10-area rice field, which is about the size of five tennis courts. However, the Haenuki, which is originally short in stature, did not grow fully in natural cultivation, and the ears fell off when harvesting with a combine harvester, so they could not even harvest the crop. The next year, they tried again with Koshihikari, which is taller and tastier.

Carefully dealing with the hard work of weeding

Using a hand-pushed weeder, the farmers carefully weed the rice paddies from top to bottom.

However, since they do not use herbicides in their natural cultivation, they are faced with the problem of how to get rid of the weeds that are growing thick and fast.

His father-in-law, who was a man who never complained about the policy and allowed him to do as he pleased, thought it was fine to report the start of natural farming after the fact, but even he was shocked when he saw the overgrown paddy fields.

Even so, Mr. and Mrs. Igarashi did their best to meet the expectations of their father-in-law, who had understood their desire to continue natural cultivation. For example, they use a hand-pushed weeder to weed the roots of the rice plants so as not to damage them. It is hard work to stir the soil with one’s feet so that the soil can be oxygenated. The farm started with 10 hectares of rice paddies and gradually expanded to 1.2 hectares, an area about one-fourth the size of the Tokyo Dome, as his techniques improved. However, weeding a paddy field of that size takes 24 to 36 hours per weeding operation. This is done three times a season, and then the remaining weeds are hand-picked one by one. Compared to conventional cultivation, weeding is by far the hardest work, as it requires careful management of water volume to protect the rice plants from heat and cold.

Challenge to a Nationwide Competition

After years of natural cultivation, Minori Garden was presented with an opportunity. The president of the Association of Rice and Food Tasters visited Shinjo City to give a lecture. He measured the taste of Minori Garden’s “naturally grown Koshihikari” and found that it had a taste value of more than 70, which is well above the average. Generally, rice with a taste value of 70 or higher is considered tasty enough, but Minori Garden’s rice had a taste value of 85 or higher. Immediately, we were advised to enter the rice in the “International Rice and Taste Analysis Competition,” sponsored by the Association. They immediately entered both conventionally grown rice and naturally grown rice in the competition and found that the naturally grown rice had by far the highest taste score, which made them realize the great potential of natural cultivation. The first year they could not even pass the first round of judging, but since then they have worked hard to produce high quality rice every year, and as a result, the eating quality of Minori Garden’s naturally grown Koshihikari rice is now above 90.

Three varieties of rice won gold medals in the 10th year.

Finally, in the 10th year of natural cultivation, he won a gold medal at the “International Rice and Taste Analysis Contest. After that, with the encouragement of others, he entered the “Japan’s No.1 Rice Contest in Shizuoka”. Three varieties of rice, Tsuyahime, Koshihikari, and Yudai 21, won gold medals. He was also certified as “the world’s best rice ingredient for Toyo Rice,” a distinction given to only a handful of the gold award winners, and this was the beginning of his becoming a nationally known rice farmer.

We want to increase the number of young people who want to become farmers.

Minori Garden’s rice has the power to bring smiles to the faces of those who eat it, thanks to its gloss, aroma, and taste after cooking. This is the result of Mr. Narusei’s tireless efforts. He exchanges information with other natural farmers across the country to hone his techniques, and continues his steady work of careful weeding and homegrown seeds, which results in a delicious taste that increases year by year. This is reflected in the taste value, which has led to this wonderful award. Mr. Narusei’s next goal is to win the Diamond Medal in the International Rice Taste Analysis Competition. The Diamond Medal is awarded to growers who have won five or more gold medals and three consecutive gold medals in the overall category at this competition, and is a sign that they are “the best rice growers. I hope that this award will encourage more young people to aspire to become farmers. I would like to convey the charm of agriculture with my own backside,” says Narusei. He will continue to improve his cultivation techniques to brighten the future of the agricultural industry.

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Ishikawa Farm has an 80-year history of rice cultivation in Akaigawa Village, which has a population of less than 1,200 and is mainly engaged in agriculture and tourism. There is a third generation of rice farmers who love both growing and eating rice. We visited Mr. Hayato Ishikawa, who struggles with the beauty and harshness of nature.

A Beautiful Village Blessed with Nature Interwoven with Mountains

Akaigawa Village is located in the southwestern part of Hokkaido, about 40 km southwest of Otaru City, and has been attracting attention as a tourist spot in recent years as an area within a 30-40 minute drive from Otaru. It is known as a basin with a caldera-like topography with mountains surrounding the village from east to west, north to south, and south to north. It has an inland climate unique to basins with large temperature differences between day and night, summer and winter, and is also one of the areas with the heaviest snowfall. The village boasts abundant tourist resources that attract many visitors , such as the spectacular view of “Cloud Lake,” where fog flows into the basin and accumulates on clear autumn mornings, and “Kiroro Resort,” a ski slope blessed with powder snow.

The village also grows many agricultural products. The village grows a wide variety of products, including rice, pumpkins, broccoli, mini-tomatoes, melons, and watermelons, all of which are popular for their sweetness due to the difference in temperature between day and night.

Mr. Ishikawa’s delicious rice, which he produces in a straight line for rice

Ishikawa Farm is located in the Kyokugawa district of the scenic village of Akaigawa, where he grows paddy rice. Mr. Hayato Ishikawa, the third generation of rice farmers who started rice farming in 2004, loves rice.

He says, “Going to the rice fields on a sunny day and observing the different faces of the rice each day, and then eating the delicious rice after polishing are both essential to my work. Both are essential for me, and rice is my ‘hobby.

I eat three cups of rice at one meal,” he adds happily.

After graduating from junior high school, Ishikawa stayed in Otaru for high school and then worked as an office worker in Sapporo. Even though he was away from his hometown, the rice paddies started by the first generation of farmers who moved to the village from Shikoku were always somewhere in his mind. Even though I was working at other jobs, I always wanted to return to my hometown someday to grow rice,” he said.

The typhoon made him decide to return to his hometown with his wife, which he says was a very natural decision.

Clear water, temperature difference, soil, and sun determine the taste.

Ishikawa Farm produces three varieties of rice : Yumepirika, Nanatsuboshi, and Yukisayaka, which are representative of Hokkaido’s brand-name rice.

All of these varieties are the pride of Hokkaido. Yumepirika” in particular is a rice with characteristics similar to glutinous rice. It has a soft, glutinous texture and a sweet, rich flavor with a hint of a special aroma,” says Ishikawa.

Mr. Ishikawa’s rice grows well in the favorable conditions provided by the melted snow nurtured by the mountains including Mt.

Mr. Ishikawa’s rice grows well and quickly. “Because the village of Red River is surrounded by mountains, even if a cloud rolls in, it will be blown away by the mountains. This is why the sun shines down on the rice, especially in the summer. The rice exposed to the sun performs photosynthesis and stores a lot of starch. Furthermore, because of the temperature difference between day and night, the rice’s metabolism is suppressed at night, and the starch is packed tightly into each grain of rice. This makes the rice firm, sticky, and sweet.

Another advantage of Mr. Ishikawa’s rice paddies is that they are surrounded by mountains and are not exposed to strong winds. The rice is less likely to be buffeted by strong winds, so there is no extra stress on the rice.

The rice absorbs the minerals of the mountains from the clear water, resulting in large, glossy, delicious rice.

Ishikawa’s “Yumepirika” rice has often won prizes in the annual “Rice-1” Grand Prix held in the town of Rankoshi, Isoya County, with the aim of promoting delicious rice throughout Japan, and finally won the runner-up prize in 2021.

Mr. Ishikawa named his rice “Shemeshi,” which is printed prominently on the rice bag.

Shemesh” means the sun (morning sun) in Hebrew. He told us with a smile that he named the rice “Shemesh” because the presence of the sun (morning sun) is important to the rice he grows, and because it was a nice word.

Attention to water content makes the rice a favorite of chefs.

The temperature difference between day and night, the clear mineral-rich stream, and the high-quality soil… Akaigawa Village has all the favorable conditions for growing rice.

Mr. Ishikawa emphasizes that he wants people to eat rice with the optimum amount of moisture depending on when and under what circumstances they eat the rice.

The taste of rice is greatly affected by the amount of moisture contained in the grains. The ideal moisture content is 15-14%, but the moisture content varies depending on the weather and time of harvest.

Ishikawa says that in order to dry the rice evenly, he uses a large far-infrared dryer. He also says that the rice is not dried all at once, but is dried slowly over a long period of time because of his commitment to the taste of the rice.

We use a two-stage drying method. The first drying is stopped when the moisture content is 16.5%, and the rice is left to dry for about three days. When the rice is sealed, the water content of the chaff goes back and forth. When the rice is sealed, the water content of the chaff goes back and forth, with the higher water content giving way to the lower water content in an attempt to equalize.

Mr. Ishikawa has also succeeded in maintaining the quality of the rice by introducing a machine to sort out black rice, which has a slightly inferior taste, known as spotted rice. Every year, he repeats a trial-and-error process to find the best farming method for Hokkaido’s changing climate.

He has come to believe that the most important thing is to keep the roots firmly planted. If rice with healthy roots grows, it will produce large grains of rice. To achieve this, rice straw harvested in the fall is plowed in while the temperature is still high and mixed with the soil in the field. Then, “rice straw corrosion accelerator” is sprinkled to firmly promote fermentation and decomposition of the soil so that there will be no un-decomposed rice straw left in the soil when the temperature rises the next year. If this process is inadequate, gas will be generated from the soil when the temperature rises. When gas is produced, the roots of the rice plants are killed and subsequent growth is poor.

Ishikawa stresses that soil preparation after rice harvest is essential to create good roots for the next year.

Once the rice plants start to grow, I think I look only at the roots rather than the rice itself (laughs).

Mr. Ishikawa enjoys eating rice not only as a producer but also as a consumer. Many chefs fall in love with his rice. Tomonori Oikawa of Nihonbashi OIKAWA is one of them.

Tomo⾂ Oikawa of Naimonbashi OIKAWA is one of them. “I think ‘This rice must be delicious’ from the moment I open the lid of the pot,” he says. It’s just so sweet. Sweetness is umami. The sweetness is the flavor, the simplicity of the taste,” says Oikawa.

The customers who come to the restaurant are delighted by the taste of the soy sauce itself, he says.

Good food is simple. If you use bad food, you have to add all kinds of things.

Conveying the Appeal of Agriculture to the Next Generation of Farmers

Mr. Ishikawa says he feels a sense of crisis in the fact that the bearers of agriculture are aging and young people are not attracted to the industry. The seven rice farmers in the area have joined together to form the “Red-Igawa Village Seiryukai” because they want to protect the rice paddies and rice in the Akaigawa area.

I love the village of Akaigawa. Even though we use different farming methods and sell our rice to different customers, we are all colleagues who use the same irrigation water to grow rice. I struggle every day to find ways to protect the delicious rice here,” he says.

He continues to work energetically, going to schools for on-site classes and working on online classes.

Eating healthy rice makes everyone feel better,” he says. I want to promote the appeal of rice to the younger generation. We are also putting a lot of effort into developing various events to stop the decline in farming.

In a closet, Mr. Ishikawa found a poem he wrote in the fourth grade of elementary school titled “Rice.

It’s beautiful.

It’s beautiful.

The rice shines in a golden brown.

The rice flutters softly.

Fluttering gently like ocean waves.

Delicious.

The rice is shiny and glossy.

The rice is very tasty.

It tastes as good as a small bird’s egg.

He says he wrote this poem when he was a child because he was so impressed by the taste of rice. I want to increase the number of children and the younger generation like me. With this thought in mind, Mr. Ishikawa will continue to take on the challenge of growing rice.

The post Ishikawa Farm’s “Shemeshi” bathed in the morning sun of Akaigawa. Sweet and tasty rice to cheer everyone up/ Akaigawa Village, Hokkaido first appeared on NIHONMONO.

This rare Zaida rice is grown in the land nurtured by the mountains, the sea, and the beautiful nature known as “Toyako Blue. This brand of rice won the Grand Prix at the “Rice-1” competition held by the town of Rankoshi in Hokkaido to determine the best taste of rice in Japan, and was also awarded the title of best rice in Japan. The rice is a popular product with its chewy and sweet taste. We visited Mr. Tetsuzo Sasaki, the 5th generation owner of “Miyauchi Noen,” the producer of Zaida Rice.

Rice grown in a mild climate, clear water, and rich soil

Toyako Town is located in the southwestern part of Hokkaido, surrounded by lakes, Mount Usu (Usuzan), and Uchiura Bay (Eruption Bay). The town is known for its relatively mild climate, even in the cold climate of Hokkaido, and has a thriving agriculture and livestock industry that produces root vegetables, leafy greens, fruits, and other crops. Lake Toya, with its beautiful blue surface, is one of the town’s most famous scenic spots. Lake Toya was created by a massive eruption about 110,000 years ago and is known as the third largest caldera lake in Japan.

In addition to its magnificent nature, the town is conveniently located only 2 hours from Sapporo by car and 1 hour and 30 minutes from New Chitose Airport, attracting as many as 2.5 million visitors throughout the year.

Toyako Town produces a wide variety of agricultural products, but only a limited amount of rice is grown in the town. It is called “Takarada-mai” rice, produced in the Takarada area, which was pioneered by settlers from Saida Village in Mino County, Kagawa Prefecture .

The area planted with Takarada rice, including Takarada and the surrounding Kawahigashi area, is small at about 42 hectares (about nine times the size of the Tokyo Dome), and the yield is limited. Because of its scarcity, it is sometimes referred to as “maboroshi no omai.

In Asahikawa, one farmer grows 50 hectares of rice. In Asahikawa, one farmer produces 50 hectares of rice, which is one of the lowest yields in Hokkaido. However, we are confident in the quality of our rice,” says Tetsuzo Sasaki of Miyauchi Farm, a 130-year-old rice farmer in the Zaida area.

This is a fan-shaped area where fine sediment has accumulated as a result of the constant flow of water from the mountains to the northeast. It drains well and gets good sunlight. In addition, nature adjusts the necessary nutrients just right, so we have all the conditions necessary to produce delicious rice.
The water that flows from the mountains slowly flows to the gently sloping plains, and when the large-grained sediment stays in place, it forms a well-drained fan-shaped area. The fertile alluvial soil lies 30 meters below the ground in Zaida, which was originally a riverbed. This soil is the source of the rice’s delicious taste, and the mild climate surrounded by mountains and the clear Sobetsu River…the blessings of nature are poured into the rice in a calculated manner.

The rice won the top prize at the “Rice-1 Grand Prix” in Japan.

The Takarada area meets the three requirements for rice cultivation: soil, water, and climate. However, according to Mr. Sasaki, one of the advantages of the area is its “good drainage,” which makes water management difficult. The sandy soil and the fact that the rocks are underneath make water drainage easier,” he said. If you put water in, it will all run out in two days. So you have to keep running water all the time.

If the water is always cold, the rice will not grow. Instead of drawing water directly from the river like most rice paddies, we create a time lag by passing water from one paddy field to another, warming it up, and then passing it back down to the fields below, which is a method unique to Zaida,” said Sasaki. From a distance, the rice fields look like terraced rice paddies.

In addition, “good drainage,” which is highly beneficial to the taste of the rice, also contributes to the difficulty of creating the rice paddies themselves.

The water level in each rice paddy is completely different, depending on the location. Some rice fields hold water well, while others lose a lot of water. We have to change the amount of fertilizer according to the amount of water in order to grow good rice.

The soil created by nature does not always follow the theory. Mr. Sasaki says that after adjusting the fertilizer mixture and pulling out the weeds that grow day by day, he is finally able to produce rice paddies that he is satisfied with. It is often said that the weather is 20% of your skill and 80% of your work,” he says. There is no way to compete with the weather.

In order to produce rare and valuable rice, Mr. Sasaki works hard every day to find the best solution for the topography, soil, and climate of his rice paddies. The taste of Mr. Sasaki’s rice, which is made with such passion, has been well received, winning the Grand Prix at the 8th “Rice-1 Grand Prix” in 2018 (Heisei 30), as well as the Excellent Gold Award at the 13th “You Choose the Best Rice in Japan” in 2019 (Heisei 31), sponsored by Shonai-cho, Yamagata Prefecture, known as one of the best rice producers in the country. The “Zaida Rice” has achieved increased visibility by winning the Gold Award for Excellence in the “Your Choice Japan’s Most Delicious Rice Contest.

Hokkaido rice was changed! Yumepirika, Nanatsuboshi, and Hukkunko

Mr. Sasaki emphasizes the significance of the nationwide recognition of Hokkaido rice as “delicious. This is because Hokkaido rice has long enjoyed the dishonorable status of “yakkaido-rice,” he says. It has been said that the rice produced in Hokkaido is not tasty,” he says. There were not enough varieties of rice to go around.

Hokkaido, known as a treasure trove of foodstuffs, is one of the largest producers of marine, agricultural, and livestock products, and has a vast, wide-open land. The weather conditions vary from region to region, not to mention the severe cold. It took a long time to produce good quality rice of consistent and uniform quality.

I think it is fair to say that the history of rice in Hokkaido lies in the improvement of rice varieties. The people at the Agricultural Experiment Station took the time to take Hokkaido’s climate into account and find rice that could withstand low water temperatures in the spring and grow even at low temperatures in the summer. They have worked hard over time to create a rice variety that is also very tasty. I feel that this has made it possible for us to produce delicious rice in Hokkaido.

As Mr. Sasaki says, the Kamikawa Agricultural Experiment Station in Hokkaido patiently continued to analyze components such as starchy amylose and protein, which are related to the balance between stickiness and hardness of rice, and developed “Kirara 397,” which was a turning point in changing the image of rice in Hokkaido. I think things changed after ‘Kirara 397’ came out. And then, “Nanatsuboshi,” followed by “Fukkunko,” a variety from the southern part of Hokkaido that is not widely distributed, and “Yumepirika,” which became famous through commercials, probably changed the image of rice in Hokkaido. This may not be a good sign for the earth, but I feel that it also has something to do with the fact that global warming has made it easier to grow rice in Hokkaido.

In the Zaita area, many farmers grow Yumepirika, Nanatsuboshi, and Hukkunko varieties in equal proportions. Mr. Sasaki finds Yumepirika to be the most delicious.

I am confident that all of the Zaida rice varieties are delicious, but it is the “Yumepirika” variety that is outstandingly chewy and has low amylose, a starch molecule. It is light in color, beautiful to look at, and tastes good even when cold. It is also popular when made into onigiri (rice balls).

Hukkurinko, a variety grown only in the Hakodate area of southern Hokkaido, is also sweet, sticky, and has large grains, and Mr. Sasaki says he would like to try this variety in the future to increase yields.

My father, who is now 86 years old, says that rice cultivation is a one-year job; he has been doing it for 80 years, but there has never been a year when the same method works,” says Sasaki.

Every day is a learning experience, and even though it has been 10 years, no two years are ever the same. There are many times when I harvest the rice thinking it will be good this year, but it turns out to be different. That’s what makes it interesting, and I think that’s what you learn firsthand by facing the rice paddies every day.”

It’s not just rice. Corn “Megumi Gold” is highly praised by famous restaurants.

In addition to rice, Miyauchi Farm also produces corn. The variety is “Megumi Gold,” which is the main variety grown around Lake Toya. The bright yellow kernel skin does not wrinkle easily when boiled and looks beautiful.

Miyauchi Farm’s corn has a reputation for being of particularly high quality, and is served at various famous restaurants in the Kansai region, including The Windsor Hotel Toya, known as the venue for the 2008 G8 Toyako Summit, Kyoto Arashiyama Kitcho, a first-class ryotei restaurant, and Michelin-starred restaurants.

Corn’s sugar content increases due to the difference in temperature. In summer, the temperature rises to about 30°C during the day, but it drops dramatically to 15°C at night. That’s how the sugar content increases. I feel that this may be true for rice as well. I think that once the rice is cooled after harvest, the sugar content rises and the taste is enhanced, making the rice tastier.

More than 130 years of pioneering history from Kagawa to Lake Toya

Mr. Sasaki is the fifth generation of Miyauchi Farm, which has a long history. Mr. Sasaki’s ancestors, the first generation, emigrated from the former Marugame domain in Kagawa Prefecture, Shikoku, in 1887, and began cultivating land in the form of the Toya Settlement, he says. This year marks 137 years since we first settled here. We are now the only settlers who have been involved in farming since that time,” he says.

It has been 10 years since Mr. Sasaki took over as the fifth generation farmer, and he used to work as an office worker. The life as a salaried worker was comfortable, and he continues in a calm tone of voice, “I thought I would be able to stay here until retirement.

But as I got older, I started to see what was coming next. I wanted to be more excited. Farming is an unknown world, and I felt something exciting in my heart. In fact, this is my wife’s family, and we were also looking for an heir. I felt that it would be a shame to let it go out of business after this generation, so I thought I would give it another try.

However, his wife, who grew up on a farm, told him not to do it because it was impossible,” he recalls. She knew from watching her family since she was a child that farming was tough and difficult. Now, however, she is grateful for her husband’s choice.

I was really happy when customers who bought our rice said it tasted good,” she says.

Mr. Sasaki agrees. I am also really encouraged by what our customers say.

Passing on the appeal of the Zaida brand to the next generation

Mr. Sasaki, who works hard to grow delicious rice while facing the land, climate, and nature of Zaida, is concerned that the Japanese people have stopped eating rice.

If imports from overseas are stopped, I feel that Japan will run out of food. Think about it, rice can be grown in the same place the next year. Unlike wheat, you don’t have to change the location. I think this is because it is a crop suited to Japan. I want to produce more and more delicious rice so that we don’t have to depend on imported foods. I want everyone to eat more rice. We want to preserve Zaida rice for future generations.

The 14 farmers have started to work together to promote the wonderfulness of Zaida rice both in Hokkaido and abroad through the establishment of the “Zaida Rice Brand Council.

For example, we make stickers and pamphlets and actively participate in events. We hope that young people who see or hear about these efforts will become interested in solder rice. And if possible, we would be more than happy if they would want to become rice farmers.

In order to increase the number of new farmers, there are many issues that need to be resolved, such as initial costs. Mr. Sasaki speaks strongly about his desire to share his wisdom on issues related to farming and do his utmost to ensure that the landscape and solida landscapes that nurture the rice in Zaida will be preserved for a long time to come. He will continue to focus his efforts on passing on the “treasure” of Zaida to the future of Japan, which was inherited from his ancestors who came all the way from Kagawa.

The post Miyauchi Farm” which continues to preserve Zaida rice, a treasure of the earth slowly grown in a fan-shaped area / Toyako Town, Hokkaido, Japan first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Mamma Farms Rice

The earth is warming, and Japan is no exception: during the first 100 years of the 20th century, the average temperature in Japan increased by about 1°C. In Tokyo, the average temperature rose by about 3°C during the same period due to the heat island effect, and the trend has not changed since the 21st century. In Tokyo, the heat island effect has caused the average temperature to rise by about 3°C over the same period, a trend that has not changed since the 21st century. As a result, it is said that areas suitable for rice cultivation have shifted from lowland areas known as rice-producing regions, such as the Shonai Plain in Yamagata Prefecture and the Ishikari Plain in Hokkaido, to inland high-cool regions such as the Hida region in Gifu Prefecture, northern Nagano Prefecture, Gunma Prefecture, and Minami Uonuma in Niigata Prefecture.

Some people ask, “Is it still possible to grow rice in the high mountains? Some people say, “Can you still grow rice in the high mountains? But I have a feeling that it is becoming popular among rice lovers,” says Tatsuki Kobayashi, a rice farmer in Gifu Prefecture, near the Alps. Kobayashi is the owner of ” Mamma Farm, ” a small village in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, near the Alps, that continues to win top prizes in national rice competitions year after year. Originally a fattening cattle farmer, he switched to rice farming with his friends because it seemed like a better way to communicate with end users. The specially cultivated rice “Inochi no Ichi” produced by Mr. Kobayashi and his colleagues is moderately chewy and sticky, and has a surprisingly rich sweetness, which is evident even after the rice has cooled. Some people say that one bite of the rice “overturned their concept of rice. Yukimanma,” another hot rice variety from Mamma Farms, has a cloudy white color like glutinous rice when milled, and is gaining popularity because it is more sticky than ordinary Uruchi rice and does not lose its taste even when cooled. Even when eaten unpolished, the rice has a strong sweet taste and chewy texture, and has won awards at competitions.

Why Rice Cultivation Succeeded in Hida Takayama

But why did Mr. Kobayashi, who has little experience as a rice farmer, succeed in Hida Takayama, which is not well known as a rice production center? One reason is that Mr. Kobayashi and his group of farmers started rice farming using only organic fertilizers and minimal use of pesticides in order to protect the village, which had been cultivated by their predecessors and nurtured into soil suitable for rice cultivation. That they naturally gathered together a group of like-minded people who wanted to protect the insects and the natural environment and produce safe and secure crops. In addition, the environment was cool at night even in summer, which allowed the rice to breathe well and not consume excessive amounts of starch, which facilitated the slow and concentrated flavor of the rice. The clean soil, moderate hours of sunlight, and mineral-rich snow-melt water flowing from the Northern Alps are all factors that add up to produce delicious rice. In 2013, Mr. Kobayashi launched the ” Hida Takayama Delicious Rice Project ” in order to share the know-how of rice cultivation and pass it on to the next generation. Together with other volunteers, he aims to realize sustainable agriculture that continues to produce high value-added, safe, and secure rice, and to train future generations.

The name “Mamma Farm” is said to reflect the wish that “the rice is just as it is in nature, just as it is in life. Mr. Kobayashi hopes to continue to convey the importance of taking life, which the Japanese people have long cherished, through the act of eating rice. In today’s society, where trends change quickly, and smartphones are flooded with a vast amount of information, it is difficult to focus on one thing at a time, making it especially difficult to remain steadfast in what one is doing. Mr. Kobayashi is a Hida native who believes in working diligently and honestly, and he is dedicated to rice farming. Just like the many artisans who support Japan’s rice cultivation, the back of a person who can love nature in a natural way is a very big person.

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In a corner of a historic inn, time that had stood still has begun to move again at “sugino… Naraijuku is located in the south of Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture. The old post town, which was one of the eleven Kiso inns along the Nakasendo route fro…

The post Phantom rice grown in a high-cool climate with large temperature differences, Mamma Farm, Mr. Tatsuki Kobayashi / Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Rice, the Staple Food of the Japanese

Although it is said that the shift away from rice has been progressing along with the westernization of food, rice has always been the staple food of the Japanese people. It is a natural part of every household and convenience store in Japan. However, few people know the history of rice. Although there are various theories, rice cultivation began in Japan about 3,000 years ago during the Jomon period. Rice was introduced from the Eurasian continent along with rice cultivation technology, and before the Meiji period (1868-1912), rice was collected as a tax, indicating that it has remained the most familiar food in Japanese daily life. There are three types of rice produced in the world: japonica rice, which is well-known in Japan and widely enjoyed as a staple food on the Korean Peninsula; indica rice, which is long and thin and often seen in Thai cuisine; and javanica rice, which is wide and large-grained, sticky but light, and used for paella and risotto. The other is “Javanica rice,” which is wide, large-grained, sticky, but light, and used in paella and risotto. Indica rice, which accounts for more than 80% of the rice produced in the world, is not widely produced in Japan, and japonica rice, with its short grain and stickiness, is preferred by many Japanese. Among these, Koshihikari, a variety registered in 1956, is produced in one-third of all rice paddies in Japan and has become the standard for what the average Japanese person considers rice.

Birth of “Ryu no Hitomi,” a rice with great potential

In 2000, Takashi Imai, then working for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, was inspecting Koshihikari rice fields in Gero City, Gifu Prefecture, to check the growth of the rice plants when he noticed something unusual. There was tall rice mixed in that was clearly not Koshihikari, and upon closer inspection, the paddy was quite large.” The next year, he grew the hulled rice, harvested it, and cooked it. It had a sweetness, aroma, and crunchiness that he had never experienced before, and Mr. Imai was shocked to find that it overturned his concept of rice. Thinking that this rice must be a new variety, Mr. Imai asked a company specializing in genetic testing, but they were unable to analyze it and could not tell him what the origin of the rice was. However, he was convinced that it was clearly a different variety from Koshihikari. In 2002, he conducted test cultivation in secret to register the variety, finalized the data, and filed an application for variety registration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on April 1, 2003. The name of the variety at the time of application was ” Ryu no Hitomi. We wanted to name it “Dragon,” the god of water, which is important for rice cultivation. He also made the large grains of rice look like “pupils. At the same time, “Ryu no Hitomi” was needed as a product name to establish a brand strategy, and an application for trademark registration as “Ryu no Hitomi” was filed with the Japan Patent Office and was accepted. In 2006, the rice was successfully registered as a variety, and it became more popular as a tasty and safe rice. In 2006, the rice was successfully registered as a variety, and the company set out to grow and protect it as a tastier and safer rice. However, it was extremely difficult to grow because of its tall stature and large ears, which made it prone to collapse and vulnerable to disease. Therefore, Mr. Imai retired from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries at the age of 51 in order to protect this unknown but potentially extraordinarily large rice and preserve it for future generations. Wanting to produce rice that everyone could enjoy and eat safely, he gathered together a group of friends who aspired to become masters of rice cultivation and devoted themselves to cultivating and promoting “Ryu no Hitomi” rice.

He has created strict standards for “Ryu no Hitomi,” and only contract farmers who meet these standards are allowed to grow the rice under a set manual, thereby protecting and enhancing the brand value of “Ryu no Hitomi. In order to maintain the quality of “Dragon’s Eyes,” they also focus on the management of “Inochi no Ichi,” the original seed rice. Thanks to such activities, not only Mr. Imai himself but also his contract farmers have won gold medals in the National Rice Evaluation and Taste Analysis Contest and the Grand Prize in the You Choose the Best Rice in Japan Contest, as well as many other top awards in national contests. It is now recognized by rice growers and rice lovers as a representative brand of rice in Japan.

Protecting Japanese Rice with “Dragon’s Eyes

Mr. Imai is concerned that Japanese rice consumption has continued to decline since its peak of approximately 118 kg per year in 1962, and is now less than half that amount. Even though those were the days when people were mainly engaged in manual labor and ate hinomaru bento (packed lunches), I think many people ate rice because rice grown in the traditional way was simply delicious. So I want to produce delicious rice without using as much pesticide as possible and increase the number of people who want to eat this again, ” he says. In 2017, he obtained Global GAP certification to ensure that his rice is safe and secure and evaluated at the global level. Such safe and secure rice can be made more delicious by cooking it in an appropriate way depending on the season. Dragon’s Eye,” which appeared like a blessing from heaven and which Mr. Imai has devoted his life and passion to protect, will be a light that will awaken the Japanese people’s love for rice, which had been far away, and make them recognize once again that Japanese rice farming is a wonderful technique to be proud of in the world and a culture to be inherited.

The post Dragon’s Eyes: Mr. Takashi Imai, a man who will leave behind rice that is 1.5 times larger in grain than Koshihikari and was given to him from the heavens. first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Growing Phantom Rice in the Terraced Rice Paddies of Omayano

Gero Onsen in Gifu Prefecture is known as one of the three best hot springs in Japan, along with Arima Onsen in Hyogo Prefecture and Kusatsu Onsen in Gunma Prefecture. The Mimayano terraced rice paddies spread out on a slope at an altitude of around 600 meters, about 10 kilometers from the hot spring resort. The sight of rice paddies lined up on steps along the curves of the terrain, which is unique to mountainous regions, is a work of art that makes the most of nature and is a crystallization of the wisdom and efforts of our ancestors. The terraced rice paddies not only produce high quality rice due to the difference in temperature and the long hours of sunlight characteristic of mountainous regions, but also have various functions, such as preventing landslides and floods and allowing rainwater that seeps underground to be reused downstream, thus protecting the lives of people living in the surrounding areas for many years. However, terraced rice paddies are cultivated in the mountains, so the area per rice paddy is small, and the farm roads are not well maintained, making it impossible to use large machinery. The existence of terraced rice paddies has become a precious commodity in itself, as the aging of the rice growers and the lack of successors have led to an increase in abandoned rice paddies.

What is “Gin no Hikari,” the world’s highest rated rice?

Inochinoichi ” is a rice variety that was accidentally discovered in this region in 2000. It has a unique texture with grains about 1.5 times the size of Koshihikari rice. It is also attractive because of its strong flavor and sweetness, not only when it is freshly cooked, but also when it is cooled down, as it does not become hard and the flavor is concentrated even further, and the flavor continues to be delicious on rice balls or in lunch boxes. It was first sold under the brand name “Ryu no Hitomi,” and its production areas expanded. Since 2013, Mr. Yasuhiro Soga of Manmaruya LLC has been producing “Gin-no-Mikazuki,” a brand of rice produced in the Hida region of Gifu Prefecture and surrounding mountainous areas blessed with rich soil and clean water, with his colleagues. Mr. Yasuhiro Soga of “Manmaruya, LLC. In an environment where mineral-rich water through the mountains creates good soil and grows good rice, he spares no pains to keep the rice tasty by installing the latest equipment to make it even tastier. At Mr. Soga’s farm, a dryer with AI functions has been installed, and harvested rice is sorted and managed in optimal conditions, with rice harvested with different moisture content being agitated and sorted, and drying automatically adjusted to the moisture content of each rice. My wife is aghast, saying, “You bought a new one again! Soga laughs as he strokes the combine harvester equipped with the latest functions. The Silver Soma rice grown through trial and error won the gold medal in the specially grown rice category for two consecutive years in the “Rice and Taste Analysis Competition,” which is said to be the largest rice competition held in Japan. The company has also been recognized throughout Japan as the “World’s Best Rice,” a distinction given to only four people in Japan who have been carefully selected by Toyo Rice from among the gold medal-winning brown rice in the competition. The brown rice selected as the world’s best rice was purchased for 1,900 yen per kilogram, about eight times the regular price, and 840 grams (6 cups) was sold to the public for 18,000 yen (including consumption tax and shipping costs). Because of its extremely low distribution volume, it has gained a reputation among food connoisseurs as a “phantom rice.

The Silver Cherry” is a special product of Mr. Soga.

Mr. Soga places great importance on using as little pesticides as possible, no chemical fertilizers, and only original organic fertilizers that meet his own standards. He relies on his accumulated data and long-standing instincts to deal with changes in temperature and rainfall caused by abnormal weather, and he treats the silver sesame as if he were raising his own children. After harvest, the rice is stored in a warehouse at a constant temperature to keep it alive and un-hulled so that it is less susceptible to environmental conditions such as dryness, cold, and heat. This is because rice that is protected by the husks and retains its vitality can retain its fresh taste for a long time. The amount of rice that can be shipped is not very large because the cultivation area is limited and there are no workers. That is why we want to deliver the best rice possible to customers who are waiting for it,” says Soga.

The fact that rice produced in the traditional way, in the traditional place, is gaining public recognition seems to appeal to the legitimacy of preserving the original landscape of Japan and passing it on to future generations. And no matter how tasty the rice is, Mr. Soga leaves no room for miscellaneous thoughts, saying, “There is no such thing as good enough. Under Mr. Soga’s leadership, the future of rice farming in Japan is being carefully spun out.

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In a corner of a historic inn, time that had stood still has begun to move again at “sugino… Naraijuku is located in the south of Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture. The old post town, which was one of the eleven Kiso inns along the Nakasendo route fro…

The post Phantom rice produced from the original landscape of Japan, Manmaruya, Yasuhiro Soga / Gero City, Gifu Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Only 20% of the rice harvest can be called Ten-ei rice

Ten-ei-mura, Iwase-gun, in the central part of Fukushima Prefecture, is known as a rice-growing area. Ten years ago, a group of volunteer rice farmers got together to form the Ten-ei Rice Cultivation Study Group. Aiming to improve the taste and quality of rice, they have been working to cultivate rice using special cultivation and organic cultivation. The group boasts a record of being the only one in Japan to win the gold medal for nine consecutive years at the “International Rice and Taste Analysis Competition*,” a competition for rice taste.
(*) This is a taste evaluation contest for new rice sponsored by the Association of Rice and Taste Analysts, which has been held since 2000. Since the 10th contest, it has become an international competition and is highly acclaimed both in Japan and abroad.

In early autumn, Hidetoshi Nakata visited Ten-ei Village, which was in the midst of its harvest season. Yoshio Madarame, chairman of the Ten-ei Rice Cultivation Research Association, took him on a tour of the village’s prized rice fields. Is this Koshihikari rice? What is the yield? We continue our questioning, hearing that the market price in this area is 8 to 10 bales per hectare. Mr. Nakata smiled at Mr. Ikarume, who rolled his eyes and said, “You know a lot about rice. I’ve always loved rice, and I’ve learned so much about it that I’m now a “rice listener. The members of the study group’s members’ voices instantly softened the mood of the room. The Ten-ei Rice Cultivation Study Group was established in 2008. Mr. Ikarame reveals that the deregulation of rice distribution was the initial impetus for the group’s establishment.

Since then, the group has been engaged in special cultivation and organic rice cultivation through trial and error. Among their signature rice products, “Kampo Environmental Farming Ten-ei Rice” uses Kampo as an organic fertilizer and paper mulch rice transplanters as a weed control measure. Mr. Ikarume proudly states, “We do not use any pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or herbicides, and we take our time and care to cultivate our rice. Growing rice without pesticides requires more than twice as much work. The harvest is only about 60% of what it used to be. Even so, when you eat the rice, the difference is obvious. I believe it is worth the effort.

Representing the rice farmers of Fukushima, the team won the gold award for the first time in two years.

On the other hand, in order for the value of the rice to be widely recognized, it is necessary to have it evaluated by a third party. With this in mind, the research group has continued to enter its rice in the world’s largest rice competition, the International Rice Evaluation and Taste Analysis Competition. The result was a gold medal for the ninth consecutive year. This record is the reason why Ten-ei rice is known as the best rice in the world.

After the Great East Japan Earthquake, he suffered from harmful rumors and almost gave up farming. Still, they did everything they could to decontaminate the soil using zeolite and purify the water. Their efforts bore fruit, and the rice harvested in the fall was undetectable for radioactive materials. The rice harvested in the fall was found to be radiation-free, extending the record of consecutive gold medals at the contest. However, last year, when the gold medal was on the line for the 10th consecutive year, the lack of sunshine due to the long rains had an adverse effect on the rice. The team fell just short of the gold medal and received the Special Excellence Award.

Although the record of consecutive years has been broken, this year they hope to win the Gold Award for the 10th time no matter what it takes. The people of Ten-ei Village are cheering for the people of Fukushima Prefecture to improve the image of their agricultural products. Mr. Nakata is also focusing on ideas to support the people of Ten-ei Village, who are looking forward to the future.
If we win the 10th gold medal, why don’t we change the packaging to a design with stars in a row?
The results of the competition will be announced at the end of November. The date of the contest will be announced at the end of November, and the time is getting closer every second.

The post Ten-ei Rice Cultivation Research Association” awarded Gold Prize for 9 consecutive years / Ten-ei-mura, Fukushima Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.